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At the Horton house, Jennifer received a visit from Eve. Eve started to say that she and Jennifer needed to discuss the matter of Jack's book, but Jennifer slammed the door in Eve's face before Eve could finish the sentence. Undeterred, Eve showed herself in and told Jennifer that rudeness wasn't going to accomplish anything.

Jennifer threatened to call the police and have Eve arrested for trespassing, but Eve warned that she could just as easily have Abigail charged with assault and battery. Jennifer argued that Eve had provoked Abigail, who had been under a lot of stress lately, but Eve said that didn't give Abigail the right to hit people. Eve added that Jennifer needed to start being more reasonable about things.

"No, you need to be reasonable, because I made you a deal -- fifty percent of everything -- and you didn't want it. You're not satisfied, because you want a fight. Well, congratulations -- you just got one," Jennifer snapped. Eve claimed that she didn't want a fight, and she theorized that anger was preventing Jennifer from realizing that selling the movie rights to the highest bidder would be best for everyone involved.

Eve admitted that she had selfish reasons for trying to convince Jennifer to accept the best offer, but she claimed that she also wanted to settle things quickly for Paige and J.J.'s sakes, since they didn't need their mothers' little squabble to affect their relationship. Outraged that Eve was trying to use the kids as pawns to get what she wanted, Jennifer forcibly removed Eve from the house and locked the door behind her.

A blaring alarm woke Nicole in the middle of a pleasant dream about reconciling with Eric, and she groaned with disappointment when she realized that she was alone in her hotel room. Later, Nicole called Daniel, hoping that he would be willing to join her for coffee later, but he declined the invitation, explaining that he was at the hospital and that things were crazy there -- for reasons that she was probably already aware of.

Nicole flippantly guessed that people were dropping like flies because it was unbearably hot in Salem. Unamused, Daniel wondered if Nicole had checked the news lately. Assuming that she knew what Daniel was talking about, Nicole dryly replied that she had just eaten and would prefer not to be reminded of the sickening fact that Sami had taken over DiMera Enterprises.

Nicole tried to convince Daniel to change his mind about joining her for coffee later, but he still wasn't interested. "You're the same person you've always been. The only one who matters is you. Have your coffee alone," Daniel suggested before abruptly ending the call. Meanwhile, someone knocked on Nicole's hotel room door, and when she opened it, she found Eric standing in the hallway.

Eric said that, while he understood that Nicole had a job to do, he would consider it a personal favor if she would agree to show some restraint when reporting news about Sami's takeover of DiMera Enterprises. Eric acknowledged that Nicole and Sami didn't like each other, but he pointed out that innocent children were involved. Nicole nodded and promised to respect Eric's wishes, stating that she would do anything for him.

Eric thanked Nicole and started to leave, but she asked him to stay, hoping that his visit was a sign that they would eventually be able to repair their friendship. Nicole told Eric that a reconciliation would never happen unless one of them pushed for it -- which was why she had reached out to Daniel earlier that day to invite him to join her for coffee. Eric guessed that Daniel had declined the invitation, and Nicole reluctantly confirmed the suspicion.

Eric said Nicole needed to face the truth -- she had lied to and used Daniel, and offering to buy him a cup of coffee wasn't going to magically fix everything. "Fine! I get it! I was an idiot, and how dare I ask for forgiveness? My life is a disaster on two feet, and it should stay that way forever because I'm worthless, right? Right?!" Nicole snapped. Eric admitted that he didn't know how to respond, considering what Nicole had done.

"What I did, I did because I loved you and you loved me, remember? Or did you forget about that? Okay, you know what? I -- I was weak -- too weak, because I was afraid to lose you -- so I lied. I lied, and I -- and I fought, and I did anything I could. What, now I'm -- I'm this -- this horrible person, right, who's not worth a minute of your time? Until you need a favor," Nicole countered.

Nicole wished that Eric could treat her like a person for one minute, especially since he had once said he loved her. "How did you treat me -- like a person or a prize? [...] You loved the idea of love, but you didn't love me. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't love," Eric angrily countered. Nicole raised her hand to slap Eric, but he grabbed her wrist to deflect the attempt, pulling her closer to him in the process, and their eyes locked.

At the hospital, Brady was sitting at John's bedside, struggling to make sense of what had happened. "I don't understand. I never wanted this. How could I do this? Maybe that's -- maybe that's why I don't remember -- because I've turned into...someone who could do this to their own father," Brady mused.

Elsewhere, in the waiting area, Abe and Hope told Theresa that, in addition to Brady's fingerprints, they had also found Victor's fingerprint on the fireplace poker. Theresa argued that Victor's fingerprints were probably on everything in the Kiriakis mansion, but Abe clarified that only a single, partial fingerprint had been traced back to Victor. "Which leads us to believe that someone deliberately wiped the poker clean," Hope explained.

Theresa defensively reminded Hope and Abe that Victor paid people to keep the mansion clean, but Hope and Abe had other concerns, as well -- such as the fact that John and Brady had clearly been moved quite a distance after the altercation. Aiden arrived and interrupted before Theresa could respond, and when Hope wondered what he was doing at the hospital, Theresa admitted that she had hired him.

Hope started to wonder why Theresa had felt the need to hire a lawyer, but Theresa clarified that she had hired Aiden to represent Brady, not her. Theresa said Brady's cousin, Justin, was in Dubai, so she had sought the services of another lawyer because the police were clearly trying to build a case against her husband, despite the fact that she had told them that Brady had acted in self-defense.

As Hope absorbed the news that Brady had married Theresa, he emerged from John's room and, upon learning that Theresa had hired Aiden to represent him, insisted that he didn't need a lawyer. Brady said he was guilty and would give the police his full cooperation. Theresa tried to protest, and Aiden pointed out that it was never a good idea to talk to the police without a lawyer present, but Brady refused to change his mind.

Aiden walked away, and Abe and Hope led Brady to a nearby seating area to ask him some questions. Theresa followed Aiden to the elevator and worriedly asked him to keep his cell phone on, just in case. After Aiden boarded the elevator, Theresa went to observe Brady's interview, but Hope asked her to leave. Theresa tried to protest, but Brady assured her that he would be fine on his own.

After Theresa left, Brady informed Hope and Abe that, while he wanted to help, he couldn't remember anything that had happened the previous night. Abe explained that Theresa had maintained all along that Brady had acted in self-defense, but Brady admitted that he had his doubts about her version of events.

"I was drunk...last night. I was deep-down drunk. There's no way to know what I wanted to do or what I meant to do. No judgment whatsoever," Brady said with a sigh as he looked at his naked left ring finger. Hope noticed that Brady wasn't wearing his wedding band, and Abe wondered if Brady could have been fighting with John about Theresa.

As Brady shrugged unknowingly, Daniel interrupted to announce that, while John's condition had been upgraded from critical to stable, John had slipped deeper into his coma -- which was not a medically induced coma, meaning that Daniel couldn't just take John out of it when the time was right. "We don't know if he'll ever wake up," Daniel admitted, although he added that he was still hopeful that John's brain would heal over time.

Elsewhere, Eve approached one of the break rooms and overheard Theresa muttering something about someone who hadn't done anything wrong. Eve wondered who Theresa was talking about. Startled, Theresa irritably demanded to know what Eve was doing at the hospital.

Eve explained that she had been scheduled to meet with her doctor that day to discuss her throat surgery, but no one had bothered to alert her that the doctor had been summoned to Chicago unexpectedly. As Eve started to complain about the bad day she was having, Theresa spilled a cup of coffee on the coffee station.

Concerned, Eve wondered what was wrong with Theresa, who looked rough and was acting jumpy. Theresa explained that she had spent the night at the hospital. "Oh, my God. What have you done now?" Eve asked. Theresa defensively demanded to know why everyone always assumed that she was up to no good. Theresa added that she'd had a rough night and was really worried about her husband.

Theresa begged a shocked Eve not to say anything about the marriage to Shane. Theresa admitted that the marriage had been an impulsive decision. "Oh, my God, don't tell me -- you put your husband in the hospital on his wedding night? What, did you snag some old geezer and have so much sex that you gave him a heart attack? Is that what you did?" Eve asked with a laugh.

Unamused, Theresa clarified that her husband's father was in the hospital due to a horrible fight. Theresa stressed that the whole thing had been an accident. "Oh, my God, how many accidents do you have a month? Okay, I'm gonna repeat this -- what. Did. You. Do?" Eve demanded to know. Tearfully complaining that she could always count on Eve to cut her down, Theresa shoved Eve out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

Theresa took a deep breath and assured herself that she hadn't done anything wrong and that things were going to stay that way. Meanwhile, Eve entered the waiting area in time to hear Daniel inform Maxine that he was going to the pub to get something to eat. Eve discreetly followed Daniel to the pub and acted surprised when she spotted him sitting at the bar.

Jennifer ran into Aiden in a secluded section of Horton Town Square. Jennifer insisted that she didn't want Eve to get even a penny of the proceeds from Jack's book. Aiden was confident that he could fight Eve's lawsuit, but he wondered why Jennifer had changed her mind about settling the matter peacefully. "Let's just put it this way -- there are some people that you can always count on to do the wrong thing," Jennifer replied.

Later, Aiden returned to the hospital and spotted Hope, who found herself thinking about the dance they had shared at the gala. Aiden said he had received a lot of compliments about the gala, and Hope confirmed that she had, too. "It was a very good night for us...and for the gala," Aiden mused. Before Hope could respond, Theresa entered the waiting area, with Abe in tow, and loudly complained that he needed to stop badgering her.

Aiden intervened, and Abe agreed to back off for a while, although he assured Theresa that no one was trying to turn the investigation into a witch-hunt. Theresa thanked Aiden for his help and excused herself so she could join Brady in John's room. Hope and Abe watched suspiciously as Theresa walked away. Hope observed that Theresa seemed pretty jumpy, and Abe agreed.

Abe summarized that there were three possibilities -- either Theresa was telling the truth, she was lying to protect Brady, or she was lying to protect herself. Hope agreed but admitted that the third possibility seemed like a bit of a stretch. "Forensics is telling us that there's nothing to contradict what she's saying. The trouble is...Theresa's the one saying it," Abe concluded.

Hope admitted that she understood why Theresa was jumpy, since Theresa would get sent back to Los Angeles -- and, consequently, prison -- if she did anything to violate the terms of her probation. Abe was confident that Theresa would never change her story, which meant that he and Hope would have to wait for Brady or John to fill in the blanks. Hope wasn't optimistic, since John was in a coma and Brady had no memory of the fight.

When Theresa entered John's room, Brady wondered if she had been lying about what had happened the previous night. Theresa started to get defensive, but she calmed down when she realized that Brady suspected that she might be lying to protect him. Theresa maintained that Brady had acted in self-defense and had nothing to feel guilty about.

Brady decided to attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Theresa offered to join Brady, but he declined. Brady assured Theresa that they would discuss their marriage later. Brady conceded that he needed to make some changes in his life, and he hoped that the meeting would help. Theresa asked about John's condition, and Brady admitted that John's coma might be permanent. After Brady left, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief.

Elsewhere, Hope ran into Aiden in one of the break rooms. Hope started to apologize for abruptly leaving the gala, but Aiden assured her that he understood. Aiden reminded Hope that they still needed to get together to write a report about the gala and offer their suggestions on how to improve it the following year, and they simultaneously offered to handle the task on their own.

Hope reasoned that, until Brady's case was resolved, it would be best for her and Aiden to refrain from meeting with each other in any setting that could be misconstrued. Aiden nodded and assured Hope that he would take care of the gala report himself. Hope thanked Aiden, and he excused himself. After Aiden left, Hope once again thought about the dance they had shared together.

Elsewhere, Maxine told Jennifer about what had happened to John. Maxine complained that Daniel had worked all night and planned to return to work after having a quick lunch at the pub. Jennifer agreed that Daniel worked himself too hard. "It's probably because he's lonely," Maxine pointedly stated before walking away.

At the Brady Pub, Daniel admitted to Eve that he'd had a rough night at the hospital. Eve curiously wondered if Daniel's rough night had somehow involved Theresa, but he reminded Eve that he couldn't really answer such questions. Eve understood but explained that she had seen Theresa at the hospital earlier and knew that trouble seemed to follow Theresa around. Daniel agreed but guessed that Eve was probably doing her best to look out for Theresa.

Changing the subject, Eve asked about Parker, and she and Daniel started swapping parenting stories. Meanwhile, Jennifer approached the pub and peered through the window. Jennifer's jaw dropped as she watched Daniel and Eve interact with each other in a lighthearted, somewhat flirtatious manner.

At the pub, Jennifer was horrified to look through the front window and see Daniel and Eve sitting at a table, laughing. Jennifer marched into the pub and confronted Eve and Daniel. Surprised, Daniel asked Jennifer if she knew Eve. With a grunt, Jennifer answered, "I've known her for a long time and far too well."

While Daniel took a phone call in the corner, Eve invited Jennifer to join her and Daniel for coffee. Shaking her head, Jennifer declined the offer and accused Eve of seeking out Daniel after getting details about him from Theresa. Eve said she would leave Jennifer alone with Daniel to talk. After Eve left, Daniel returned to the table and asked Jennifer why she was upset with him. Frustrated, Jennifer walked out of the pub, and Daniel chased after her.

In the park, Paige met with J.J. to talk. J.J. explained that he had planned to tell Paige about what had happened with Theresa but that things had kept getting in the way. J.J. added that he had only lashed out at Theresa in order to stop her from blackmailing him. Paige told J.J. that she was not sure she could trust him. After glancing at her phone, Paige said she needed to go to report for her community service. J.J. begged her to text her supervisor and say she would be late. Upset, Paige left.

Eve walked around the corner and asked J.J. if he had been talking about her with Paige. With a sigh, J.J. noted that not everything was about Eve. Eve nodded and said that she would tell Paige that she did not have any problems with Abigail. Eve said that she understood that Abigail was under pressure and that Eve did not want to fight with J.J.'s family. As J.J. nodded, Eve said that she wanted her daughter's last summer at home to be the best one of Paige's life.

Paige returned to the park and was surprised to see Eve and J.J. talking. With a sheepish look, Paige said that she had texted her supervisor to say she would be late. Eve left Paige and J.J. alone to talk. J.J. said that he did not want their families' fighting to ruin their relationship. Paige agreed, and she wondered aloud if she should listen to J.J. instead of doubting everything. Paige admitted that she was nervous about the future.

Daniel followed Jennifer to her house and into her living room. When Daniel said that he deserved to know why Jennifer was treating him so coldly, Jennifer countered that if Daniel were her friend then he would show her some respect. Confused, Daniel asked Jennifer if her anger was about Eve's sister, Theresa. Jennifer said that Daniel had betrayed her. When Daniel asked why, Jennifer explained that Eve was suing her for all the proceeds to Jack's book. Upset, Jennifer added that Eve wanted to take money from veterans.

Jennifer explained that she and Eve had been rivals for years and that Eve had married Jack at one point. With a puzzled expression, Daniel asked Jennifer how he would have known about the lawsuit. Daniel said that Jennifer should have told him about the lawsuit before jumping down his throat.

"You and I? It ended. Do you really think I'm the kind of guy who is gonna jump from your bed into another?" Daniel asked. Daniel stressed that Jennifer did not use common sense and that he resented that she had basically called him an idiot for not knowing about the lawsuit.

"The next time you don't get why I said we needed a break, you think about this moment because there is the problem," Daniel said. Angry, Daniel stormed out of the house. Jennifer called Aiden and left a voicemail informing him that she refused to settle the case with Eve. As Jennifer sighed, J.J. returned home and asked what was wrong. "War. All out war," Jennifer responded. Jennifer told J.J. that things were going to get ugly with Eve.

As Daniel walked through the town square, Eve cheerfully called out his name. Eve apologized to Daniel for the scene at the pub and said that she'd had had no idea that Daniel knew Jennifer. Daniel said he was suspicious of Eve. When Daniel said that Jennifer had a reason to be angry with Eve, she protested and told Daniel that she wanted to offer her side of the story. Daniel refused to listen. Daniel remarked that he felt used by Eve, and he walked away.

Eve returned home to her apartment and waited for Paige. When Paige returned home, Eve asked her if everything was okay with J.J. Eve stressed that she wanted Paige to be happy. When Paige nodded, Eve's face grew grim. Eve said that she was fine with J.J. and Abigail but that Jennifer was a big problem.

At the hotel, Eric told Nicole that what they had experienced had not been love. Furious, Nicole attempted to slap Eric, and he grabbed her wrist. Close to one another, Eric and Nicole stared into each other's eyes and stopped struggling. Eric pulled away when his phone rang. The bishop called Eric to talk about his case. While Nicole typed on the computer, Eric told Nicole that he needed to leave. Nicole stopped him to show him the news story about John Black. Eric left for the hospital, and Nicole called Brady and left him a voicemail, begging him to call her back.

Out on bail, E.J. returned to the DiMera mansion to talk to Sami. When E.J. attempted to open the living room doors, he realized the doors were locked. Pleading with his wife through the door, E.J. swore that he was not angry about the tax charges or the company takeover because he believed that he deserved his punishment. E.J. begged for a chance. The doors unlocked, and E.J. was dismayed to find Kate on the other side. When E.J. walked into the living room, he was startled to see that Stefano's portrait had been replaced with a magnificent painting of Kate and Sami.

E.J. demanded to see his wife. When Kate declined, E.J. called Mary and was angry when Mary refused to divulge where E.J. could find Sami. E.J. ordered Kate to leave, but she stated that as the mansion was part of the company, she had every right to live there. Kate reminded E.J. that neither he nor Stefano could expose what Kate and Sami had done because it would harm their reputation if people learned that Kate and Sami had bested them. Kate announced that she was leaving to get a restraining order to prevent Stefano and E.J. from entering the house.

At the hospital, Sami stopped by to talk to Marlena. A nurse informed her that Marlena had cancelled all her appointments in order to sit with John. Inside John's hospital room, Roman and Marlena talked about how unlikely it was that Brady had hit John. Sami entered the room, and they told her what had happened to John. While Roman stepped out of the room, Sami comforted her mother. Marlena informed Sami about John's fight with Brady. Shaking her head, Sami marveled at how Marlena had rushed to John's side, even though they had not been speaking to one another.

"You don't run out on somebody you have loved when there's a crisis," Marlena said. Sami reminded Marlena that John had lived through worse situations. Marlena nodded. After Sami left, Eric arrived at the hospital and Roman and Marlena told Eric about what had happened with Brady. With a sad sigh, Eric noted that John had warned him about separating Brady from Theresa and getting Brady into rehabilitation. Eric suggested that they pray and make an effort to accept it if God's will was not what they wanted.

Nicole arrived at the hospital to look for Brady. Roman informed her that Brady was at an A.A. meeting. Roman advised Nicole to stay away from the family, and he refused to give her any details about John's fight with Brady. Nicole saw Daniel walking by, and she pleaded with him to tell her what was going on. Daniel advised Nicole to focus on Brady instead of herself. With a raised eyebrow, Nicole asked Daniel if he was having trouble with a woman. Annoyed, Daniel walked away.

Sami returned home to the DiMera mansion and sat down at the desk to work. E.J. walked down the stairs and overheard Sami give instructions to someone at work over the phone. E.J. told Sami that he agreed with her instructions. When Sami asked why he was home, E.J. explained that he was out on bail with restrictions to stay in the city. E.J. admitted that he had a monitor on his ankle. Sami ordered E.J. to leave, but he refused. When E.J. asked if something was bothering her beside him, Sami seethed. E.J. pushed Sami to open up to him, but Sami stated that she was only upset that E.J. was no longer in jail.

"I don't care what you do to this company, Samantha. The only thing I care about is us. Samantha, please. That's all I think about," E.J. said softly. Sami corrected E.J. and said that there was no longer an "us." E.J. told Sami that they would always be in one another's lives. E.J. asked Sami if she planned to sell the company out from under him, because he would have done the same thing in her situation. E.J. reminded Sami that he had previously given away all his possessions to save her and that he was not afraid to lose everything again because he only wanted to be with Sami.

With a groan, E.J. said that he had made a huge mistake and hated himself for what he had done. E.J. begged for a chance to make things right with Sami, and he promised to spend his life making things right for her. E.J. added that he did not care about jail or the company and that he expected Sami to continue to lash out at him. As Sami appeared to soften at E.J.'s words, she leaned close to him.

"That is exactly what I wanted to hear you say so that I know that when I destroy your breaking, lying little heart," Sami growled. E.J. said that he understood that Sami needed to punish him. Sami disagreed and said that she planned to punish Abigail but that she wanted to annihilate E.J. When E.J. invoked the children, Sami yelled at E.J. not to mention their kids. Caroline barged past Harold into the living room and demanded that Sami stop yelling.

E.J. was angry with Harold for letting Caroline interrupt his conversation with Sami, but Caroline warned E.J. that Harold could not have stopped her. Caroline asked E.J. and Harold to leave her alone with her granddaughter. E.J. took Caroline aside and told her that she was the only family member that understood how much he loved Sami. E.J. added that he wanted a chance to make things right with Sami. With a nod, E.J. left with Harold.

"What did he say?" Sami asked. "You really care?" Caroline retorted. Sami shrugged and noted that if Caroline had dropped by to tell her to be nice to Abigail, Sami did not want to hear it. Sami ranted about how annoying it was that her family members had sided with Abigail and treated her like a victim instead of standing behind Sami. With a sigh, Sami asked Caroline if she had stopped by to say "I told you so" about E.J. Caroline shook her head no. Sami promised that E.J. would pay for what he had done.

With a sad expression, Caroline asked Sami if she only felt anger. When Sami looked bewildered, Caroline asked Sami if, deep down, she still loved E.J.

At the hospital, Kayla observed that Hope looked tired, but she quickly reassured Hope that all the preparations for the gala had been worth it. Just then, Aiden showed up, and Kayla praised him for how well the gala had turned out. Aiden needed to talk to Hope about the gala, so Kayla offered to give the pair some privacy. Although Aiden and Hope insisted they didn't need it, Kayla had to step away to take a phone call. Aiden asked Hope for her receipts so he could turn them in to Father Louis. As Hope attempted to pull a disorganized wad of paper out of her purse, she knocked over the bag, and its contents scattered on the floor.

When Aiden bent down to help Hope retrieve everything, he accidentally grabbed her hand. Their eyes locked for a moment before Hope extricated her hand. Once they had managed to pick everything up, Aiden teased Hope about the messy state of the receipts. After a moment of awkwardness, Aiden left, clutching the wad of paper to his chest so as not to drop it again. Kayla returned and asked if everything were all right with Hope and Aiden. Insisting they were fine, Hope headed out -- but her suspicious sister-in-law followed her to a waiting room.

Pressing Hope about what was going on with Aiden, Kayla acknowledged that Aiden got on Hope's nerves. "He doesn't get on my --" Hope blurted defensively before stopping herself. Kayla quickly deduced that Hope had developed feelings for Aiden. Hope was sheepish about it, but Kayla pointed out that Bo had been away on a case for two years. She added that she was furious with her brother, so she believed that Hope had every right to be angry. Hope acknowledged, "He's deserted us, Kay, and it's so hard holding it together for Ciara."

"I can't imagine. And then this guy comes along..." Kayla began, but Hope insisted that all she was feeling was relief that Aiden was a decent guy and not as much of a jerk as she'd initially believed. "I haven't betrayed your brother," Hope asserted. Kayla pointed out that it would be understandable if Hope had feelings for Aiden, but Hope maintained that she did not.

As Hope and Ciara walked through Horton Square later, Hope announced, "I have some great news. We need to go home and pack our bags... I finally cleared my work schedule, and I told them I'm taking off. We get to leave today."

At the Horton house, Jennifer apologized to J.J. because things were going to get "ugly" during her and Eve's impending lawsuit. Abigail entered and asked what her mom and brother were talking about. Jennifer maintained that it was nothing for Abigail to worry about. Abigail urged J.J. and Jennifer to stop walking on eggshells around her and instead tell her what was going on with the lawsuit. Jennifer revealed that Eve had made it clear that they would be unable to settle anything -- plus Eve had been hitting on Daniel. J.J. and Abigail agreed that Eve's behavior was "out of bounds."

J.J. was alone in the house later when Aiden arrived to pick up J.J.'s community service status report. J.J. produced the log of his hours from the desk drawer. Aiden noted that J.J. had been working a lot and guessed that J.J. wanted to spend more time with his girlfriend. J.J. wanted to know about the lawsuit, and Aiden informed him that there was a chance that Eve's claim to the estate wouldn't hold up in court. J.J. revealed that his girlfriend was Eve's daughter -- and while he wanted his dad's will to be honored, he also wanted his girlfriend's mother to be happy.

J.J. explained that Paige had gone through a rough time after her dad had left, and it seemed to have made her mom bitter. "I can say that when a marriage goes south, it changes a person -- so do yourself a favor. Never rush into it, because it could be the biggest mistake of her life," Aiden advised with unexpected cynicism. He quickly apologized for his attitude about marriage, but J.J. assured him that it was all right.

As E.J. and Johnny were having frozen yogurt in Horton Square, Johnny spotted Rafe across the way and rushed over to greet him with an enthusiastic hug. After Johnny had filled Rafe in a little about summer camp, E.J. encouraged the boy to finish his yogurt. As soon as Johnny was occupied with that, E.J. urged Rafe to let him have it. Rafe admitted that he'd heard about E.J.'s affair, and Rafe was glad that Sami had kicked E.J. to the curb. E.J. pointed out that the two men shared the same curb -- and he had no intention of ever leaving Samantha and his family.

Later, in the park outside the square, E.J. watched Johnny play with a remote-control toy. E.J. apologized for being so busy over the previous few days with "work." Just as Johnny crashed the toy and went to retrieve it, Jennifer showed up. She calmly asked E.J. what he'd been thinking when he'd cheated on Sami with his little brother's ex-girlfriend.

E.J. maintained that he had merely done something impulsive that he'd immediately regretted, but Jennifer reminded him that he'd repeated it several times. Keeping her voice low so Johnny wouldn't hear, Jennifer accused E.J. of seducing of a vulnerable Abigail because he and Sami had been having problems, and he'd known it would be easy. "And you didn't give a damn about her in the end, as long as you were satisfied. You are a disgusting pig," Jennifer spat.

E.J. insisted that he did care about Abigail, but Jennifer didn't buy it. Jennifer reminded E.J. of how guilty he'd acted when she'd gone to the mansion to confront him about what he and Chad had done. "You are a rotten man, and I'm just so grateful that my daughter sees that. I just wish that she hadn't had to find out the hard way," Jennifer declared, adding, "Sami was out of line, the way she went after my daughter, but I would buy a ticket to watch what she'll do to you."

Kate met Clyde at the Brady Pub at his request, and he claimed that the kids had been very happy to see him. Clyde wanted Kate to tell him about Rafe Hernandez, because he'd done his homework and knew that Rafe had dated Kate before he'd started seeing Jordan. Kate hedged a little, so Clyde declared, "I get the feeling that you and I are on the same page as far as this Rafe fella goes: he doesn't belong with my little girl." Kate asked why Clyde felt that way.

Clyde explained that it had been so long since he'd seen his kids that he didn't want anyone getting in the way, and he'd hoped that Kate could help. Kate wasn't sure what she could do. "Smart lady like you, I bet if you thought real hard, you could come up with something," Clyde remarked. He added that Tammy Sue would be as grateful as he was to Kate for helping to reunite Clyde with his family. "I don't want any credit for that," Kate reminded him. "No, and I don't want to put you on the spot -- so I'm sure that you and I can work something out. I'll be in touch," Clyde said before getting up and heading out.

Kate hung around the pub for a little while longer because she got a text message from Rafe, asking if she would meet him. When Rafe arrived, he explained that Jordan had announced her intention to tell him about her past -- and he wanted to do the same, by telling her that he had slept with Kate. Using Sami and E.J. as an example, Rafe noted that the truth always had a way of getting out. Kate countered that the two of them were the only ones who knew what they'd done, but Rafe had made up his mind.

Rafe wanted to know why Kate had helped Sami take over DiMera Enterprises. He didn't buy Kate's initial answer, that she had wanted to destroy E.J. and Stefano, because Kate claimed to have gotten over everything Stefano had done to her, plus she and Sami hated each other. Kate was evasive, so Rafe pointed out what a dangerous move it was to anger Stefano the way she had. "It just doesn't make sense. Why? Why would you do this?" Rafe asked. "I did it for you, all right? I am going to pay that son of a bitch back for what he tried to do to you," Kate admitted.

As Ben and Jordan waited at Club TBD for Clyde to show up, Ben asked his sister if Jordan had gotten a chance to tell Rafe about Clyde. Jordan said that she had not, but she was glad because she didn't want to drag Rafe into things until they were sure what Clyde was up to.

When Clyde arrived a little later, he suggested that they take their reunion outside somewhere. Since Ben was working, he protested when Jordan proposed going to the park with Clyde. Jordan assured her brother that she would be fine. Abigail walked in and was puzzled to see Ben sitting with Jordan and a man she didn't recognize. After Jordan and Clyde left, Ben spotted Abigail. Abigail assumed that Ben was disgusted with her because of how he'd rushed out the last time they'd seen each other.

Ben reassured Abigail that had been about something else -- an emergency -- and his feelings for her hadn't changed a bit after he'd found out about her and E.J. A curious Abigail asked if the emergency had involved the man she'd just seen Jordan leave with. After taking a deep breath, Ben admitted, "You aren't the only one who kept a secret, Abigail. That guy you saw is my father, and Jordan is my sister."

In the park, Clyde admitted, "I've come to see that I may share in some of the blame for why you left." Incredulous, Jordan echoed, "Some?" Clyde maintained that he wanted to make things up to Tammy Sue and Ollie because he'd promised their mama that he'd look out for them. Jordan declared that she would never let Clyde control them again, but Clyde insisted he was talking about family, not control. Jordan couldn't believe the things that Clyde was saying after everything he'd done.

Clyde's demeanor changed from folksy to irritable as he snapped, "I said I was wrong. I took my part. You want to keep on down that road? You really want to take that further?" Jordan wasn't interested in trying to be a family with Clyde again. She urged him to return to Poplar Bluff and leave her and Ben alone to live the good lives they'd made for themselves. "I'm sorry, Tammy Sue -- I mean Jordan. I can't go. Not till I get what I came for," Clyde said.

Jordan asked how Clyde wanted her and Ben to pay him back for what they'd put him through. Clyde replied ominously, "Well, I haven't exactly settled on that yet, but I will. I know I made a lot of mistakes, but the two of you, you broke my heart when you ran off. I won't have that again. You understand?"

At the DiMera mansion, Caroline voiced her suspicions that Sami still loved E.J. Sami vehemently insisted that she hated E.J. and wished he were dead, but Caroline asserted that the only way E.J. could have hurt Sami so much was if she loved him completely. Sami's face crumpled, and she began to weep as she admitted, "He ripped my heart out of my body. I hate him. I hate him. But I love him. Why can't I stop loving him?" Caroline held her granddaughter tenderly while Sami finally gave in to the grief and sobbed.

Sami tearfully admitted that after everything she and E.J. had put each other through, she'd never dreamed that he would cheat on her. She continued that when she'd gotten the picture of E.J. and Abigail, it had felt as if a bomb had gone off, but she had forced herself to look at the picture until it had stopped hurting, and she'd made a plan. Sami's anger and disgust returned as she described how she had forced herself to pretend that she'd believed E.J. had still loved her, even though when he'd kissed her and she'd imagined him kissing Abigail, all Sami had wanted to do was scream.

"And that's what you should have done! You had every right, Sami. You should have screamed. Kick him out, kick him out, but not this!" Caroline said. Sami declared that she would not let E.J. go until she'd destroyed him -- the same way he had broken their family. "He broke us, Grandma," Sami cried, breaking down again. Caroline began to cry, as well, as she tried again to comfort her granddaughter. A moment later, Sami jumped up from the couch and asserted firmly that she was not weak, even though E.J. had turned her into "the trusting little woman."

Caroline assured Sami that E.J. hadn't meant to do so, but Sami ranted about being right outside while E.J. and Abigail had been naked in the shower together. Through bitter tears, Sami complained that E.J. and Abigail had to have been laughing at her. "They made a fool out of me!" Sami wailed. Caroline reassured Sami, "I'm sure E.J. never laughed about it... They embarrassed themselves; that's what happened. And I swear, E.J. knew that the minute it happened. He messed up royally, and he knew it, and he knows it to this minute now!"

Sami demanded to know why Caroline felt bad for E.J. Caroline reminded Sami, "Because I was E.J. I cheated on Grandpa Shawn with Victor. In one stupid moment, I risked everything that made my life worth living." Recalling that Shawn and Caroline had never split up, an incredulous Sami concluded that Caroline was suggesting Sami should give E.J. another chance. Caroline clarified that wasn't what she'd been trying to say -- but she urged Sami not to hold on to the hate because it would eat her alive.

"Whatever you do about E.J., set yourself free," Caroline advised. "To what? To go where? I can't see past what he did. I can't see past him," Sami cried. Picking up a photograph of Sami, E.J., and their kids, Caroline handed it to her granddaughter and reminded her that she had a family to take care of. "You can do this, Sami. You've been through worse. You can do this," Caroline said encouragingly. After her grandmother had gone, Sami stared long and hard at the photo.

Allie returned home from camp and told her mom that E.J. had picked Johnny up early. Allie explained that she hadn't gone for yogurt with the others because she'd wanted to stay and finish her art project: a photo album made of pink and white construction paper titled, "My Favorite Day," filled with pictures she'd taken at Sami and E.J.'s wedding. Touched, Sami asked if it had really been Allie's favorite day. "Yeah. Now we're an official family," Allie declared.

As Sami looked through the pages, she found an origami crane. Allie said that E.J. had been helping her make them ever since Nick had died. She explained that a thousand of them were good luck, though they had only made 149 so far. Sami asked how long E.J. thought it would take to make a thousand. "E.J. says it doesn't matter. We have forever," Allie replied. After thanking her daughter for the beautiful wedding present, Sami sent Allie to the kitchen for a snack. Sami gazed with wonder at the paper crane.

As soon as Johnny and E.J. returned to the mansion, Johnny headed upstairs. E.J. ambled into the living room and asked how Sami's visit with Caroline had been. "Fine," Sami replied, barely looking up from her tablet. E.J. started to leave the room, but Sami stopped him.

In a secluded section of Horton Town Square, Aiden watched as Chase practiced some judo moves. Chase wanted to record the demonstration and send it to his grandmother, so he handed his cell phone to his father. As Aiden navigated through the phone's settings to begin the recording, he found the video of his dance with Hope.

Chase said he had recorded the dance because he had thought it would be cool to do so. Chase guessed that Aiden had liked dancing with Ciara's mother, and Aiden hesitantly confirmed that he had. "But it had nothing to do with Ciara's mom, okay? It was just a -- just a dance," Aiden quickly added.

At the Horton Town Square, Ciara tried to find out why Hope was suddenly in a hurry to go on vacation. Hope didn't respond right away -- because she was thinking about her dance with Aiden -- so Ciara repeated the question. Hope innocently stated that she had finally cleared her schedule so she and Ciara could visit Mount Rushmore, a place they had always talked about seeing together.

Ciara didn't want to go to North Dakota -- or even South Dakota, once Hope clarified that Ciara had been thinking of the wrong state -- to look at a big rock. Ciara was certain that the trip would be boring, but she was equally certain that New Orleans wasn't boring, so she wanted to go there instead. Hope knowingly guessed that Ciara wanted to go to New Orleans because they had previously vacationed there with Bo.

Ciara nodded and said it had been cool to see where Bo and Hope had pretended to get married at Oak Alley. Ciara was thrilled when Hope called the airline and changed their destination to New Orleans. Ciara feared that Bo might get upset if he ever found out that she and Hope had made plans to go to New Orleans without him, but Hope suspected that the news would actually make him really happy, since New Orleans was one of his favorite places in the whole world because he had once gone there with her and Ciara.

Ciara spotted Aiden and Chase nearby, so she rushed over to tell Chase about the trip. Ciara bragged that, while it hadn't been cheap for Hope to abruptly change their travel plans, the cost didn't matter because they had lots of money. Hope admonished Ciara, explaining that it wasn't polite to talk about money, but Chase assured Hope that it was okay because Aiden was loaded, too.

Chase had never been to New Orleans but recalled that it was where Gambit -- his favorite X-Man -- lived. Ciara spontaneously invited Chase and Aiden to join her and Hope on the trip, but Aiden and Hope quickly objected to the idea. Aiden explained that he couldn't just leave at a moment's notice, since he had clients to worry about. Chase countered that Aiden was always saying that he didn't really need to work, anyway.

Ignoring the comment, Aiden abruptly excused himself so he could take Chase to judo class. After Aiden and Chase left, Ciara observed that Hope and Aiden had acted really weird during the exchange, but Hope reasoned that she and Aiden had simply been acting that way because Ciara had put them in an awkward position. Hope appreciated Ciara's kind gesture but stressed that they needed to talk about such offers first in the future.

Hope and Ciara started to walk away, but Hope realized that she had forgotten her purse, so she turned around to grab it -- and bumped into Aiden in the process. Aiden handed Hope her purse, explaining that he had noticed it on his way back from Chase's judo class, which had been canceled. Hope thanked Aiden and abruptly excused herself.

After Hope and Ciara left, Chase wondered if he and his father could at least go to his mother's beach house sometime that summer. Aiden said he and Chase didn't have time to go to Puget Sound, and he added that he had rented out the place, anyway. "But we haven't been since the --" Chase started to protest, but Aiden interrupted and more firmly reiterated his refusal. Chase stormed off, complaining that he missed the beach house. "Well, I don't," Aiden quietly muttered before following Chase.

When Will returned to his and Sonny's apartment after a meeting with his new editor, Sonny was anxious to hear how the editor had reacted when Will had declined the cover story assignment about Sami and E.J. Will revealed that he had decided to write the article, after all, because the magazine was going to pursue the story with or without his involvement, and his editor believed that he could add insider's perspective to the story.

Will explained that the editor wasn't worried about bias affecting the article because it was supposed to be a human interest piece, so the editor just wanted something that would draw people in. "All right. Well, that's not gonna be a problem. Besides the fact that you're a great writer, adultery sells," Sonny pointed out.

Will clarified that the editor actually didn't know about E.J.'s infidelity -- she just wanted a story about Sami running DiMera Enterprises while E.J. fought the tax evasion charges. Will said that was the other reason he had agreed to write the article himself -- so he could control the narrative, as well as the amount of pain and suffering his mother had to endure.

At Club TBD, Ben told Abigail about how he and Jordan had fled from their father approximately eight years earlier and had been on the run since then, constantly changing addresses and identities to remain hidden. "[My real name is] Oliver. But every -- everybody called me Ollie. You won't -- ever -- but --" Ben stressed with a nervous laugh before his voice trailed off.

Abigail expressed sympathy for everything Ben had gone through, but he said it had all been worth it to get away from his father. Ben said he didn't know -- but really wanted to find out -- how his father had managed to locate him and Jordan in the end. Abigail realized that Ben's secret explained why he had been skittish about having his picture taken at Gabi's photo shoot and why Paige had recognized him as someone from Miami.

Ben said he had hated lying to Paige and everyone else -- especially Abigail -- and he was sorry he had waited such a long time to tell Abigail the truth. Abigail assured Ben that she wouldn't hold it against him, especially since he wasn't the only person who had been hiding something.

Ben spotted Will and Sonny entering the club with Arianna, so he abruptly excused himself, promising to explain the reason for his sudden departure to Abigail later. Abigail promised that she wouldn't tell anyone about Ben's secret, since he wanted to tell people the truth himself. Ben left after checking with Sonny to make sure it was okay to leave a bit early.

Abigail hesitantly approached Will and Sonny and gave them a barely audible greeting. Abigail was surprised when Will asked how she was doing, because she had feared that he and Sonny might hate her for the unforgivable thing she had done to Sami. Will assured Abigail that he and Sami had each done some unforgivable things in their lives, too.

Changing the subject, Sonny said he had seen Abigail talking to Ben earlier. Abigail admitted that Ben had been really supportive, prompting Sonny to wonder if it had been difficult for her to tell Ben about what had happened with E.J. Abigail started to reveal that she wasn't the person who had done that, and when she abruptly stopped herself, it was too late. Guessing that Sami had told Ben the news, Will abruptly excused himself after making sure that Sonny didn't mind watching Arianna alone for a while.

Abigail feared that she had just made a horrible situation even worse, but Sonny advised her to start cutting herself some slack. Abigail insisted that she needed -- and wanted -- to take responsibility for her actions, but Sonny reasoned that, in doing so, she was going overboard in the guilt department, just like Sami was going overboard in the rage department. Abigail regretfully reminded Sonny that E.J. wasn't the first unavailable man she had gone after. "Okay, you know what? I give up. You are a terrible person, and I want you to get out of my club," Sonny replied, managing to elicit a laugh from Abigail in the process.

At the Brady Pub, Kate told Rafe that, while she had many reasons for hating Stefano, the Bernardi incident was what had shown her just how much of a "sick bastard" Stefano really was, because Stefano had sent Bernardi to Rafe's hospital room with a razor when Rafe had been comatose and defenseless, and Stefano hadn't intended for Bernardi to use the razor to slit Rafe's throat.

Kate blamed herself for the ordeal and revealed that she had promised herself that she would eventually get revenge for Rafe's sake. Rafe complained that Kate didn't need to be taking such risks for his sake, but she assured him that she knew how to handle Stefano, and she added that the deed had already been done, anyway.

Kate told Rafe to focus on clearing things up with Jordan instead, but he said that situation had just gotten more complicated. "I was hoping that it would help things when I told Jordan that when I cheated on her with you, it didn't mean anything to me or to you, but it appears as though that's not the case," Rafe mused.

Kate insisted that she only cared about Rafe as a friend. Rafe was skeptical, but Kate reminded him that she was the one who had ended their relationship in the first place. Kate assured Rafe that they were in agreement that their one-night stand had meant nothing, but she advised that it would still be a mistake to tell Jordan about it. Rafe refused to change his mind.

In the park, Jordan guessed that, despite Clyde's claims to the contrary, he hadn't really tracked her and Ben down because they had broken his heart -- he had tracked them down because they had wounded his pride and taken his dirty money. "I was gonna use that money to build a new life for the three of us -- you, me, and Ollie -- but you went and ruined everything!" Clyde snapped.

Clyde blamed Jordan's mother for filling Jordan's head with big ideas and making Jordan think she was too good for Poplar Bluff. "Yeah, she did, because she knew that if Ollie -- if Ben and I stayed, we'd end up just like you. [...] She wanted a lot better for us, and so did I. [...] I had to leave, and you're crazy if you think you're gonna make me feel guilty for leaving. I've made a good life here, and so has Ben, and I'll be damned if I let you destroy it," Jordan firmly stated.

Clyde claimed that he didn't want to ruin things for Jordan and Ben. Clyde said he was glad that his kids had good lives. Clyde added that he was particularly proud of the fact that Jordan's career involved helping people, which would have made her mother proud, too. Jordan suggested that leaving Salem would be a good way for Clyde to prove that he meant what he was saying, but he insisted that he couldn't do that because he had already lost too much time with her and Ben.

Clyde started to stroke Jordan's cheek, but she disgustedly pushed his hand away and warned him never to touch her again. Meanwhile, Ben arrived and demanded to know what was going on. After feigning innocence, Clyde left to answer a phone call. Jordan took a few shaky breaths as she tried to regain her composure, and Ben worriedly asked if she was all right.

Jordan chastised herself for being too careless, predicting that Clyde would never let her and Ben get away from him again. Ben assured Jordan that Clyde couldn't do anything to them, but she said Ben knew that wasn't true. Ben suggested that he and Jordan might be able to ask the police for help, but she insisted that the police wouldn't be able to help because Clyde had everything on her and Ben and they had nothing on him.

As Ben started to protest that he and Jordan couldn't just give up, Rafe arrived and wondered if he and Jordan could finally have that talk they had been postponing. Ben apologetically replied that it wasn't a good time, vaguely adding that he was dealing with a bit of a crisis and really needed his sister's help. Jordan assured a confused Rafe that she would call him later, and she and Ben abruptly walked away.

Elsewhere, Clyde was talking to someone on the phone. "You mean he still hasn't paid yet? Then you know what you have to do," Clyde said.

At the DiMera mansion, Sami told E.J. that she had been doing a lot of thinking about everything they had been through together -- not just the bad times, but the good times, as well. "It's different this time, and you know why. I had given you my heart. You promised me that I could trust you with it. What happened?" Sami wondered. E.J. quietly admitted that he didn't know how to answer that question.

"I wish I could take back the mistake and the hurt that it's caused you. Please, just give me one chance. I promise you, I won't have to ask for another. Let me earn your love. Let me earn your trust. Please, just let me know that there is hope that we can have a future together," E.J. begged Sami. E.J.'s words seemed to have an effect on Sami, but before she could respond, Johnny rushed into the living room and jumped into E.J.'s lap.

E.J. said he and Sami were in the middle of an important conversation, but Johnny protested that he had something important to say, too. Johnny explained that E.J. needed to call Abigail and ask her to help them bake cupcakes again, since Johnny needed snacks to take to camp the following day. E.J. said he and Sami would handle the task because Abigail was probably too busy to help.

"But Abigail's cupcakes are so good. You said they were the best you ever had. [...] Plus, it was so much fun -- you guys were laughing the whole time, and when I said she was awesome, you were like, 'Yeah, she really is,'" Johnny recalled, ignoring E.J.'s attempts to silence him. E.J. glanced nervously at Sami, who had been listening with great interest.

E.J. quickly ushered Johnny out of the living room, instructing the boy to change his clothes so they could go to the pub to buy some cupcakes and say hello to his great-grandmother. After Johnny left, E.J. tried to resume his earlier conversation with Sami, but she wasn't interested. Sami was grateful that Johnny had arrived in time to remind her who E.J. really was and stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life.

E.J. insisted that he could see and feel that Sami still loved him. "What you feel is the most passionate hatred I have ever felt for anyone. And I cannot tell you the pleasure it will bring me to destroy you, your father, and your dear, sweet little cupcake-baking whore," Sami replied as she glared at E.J. E.J. insisted that, while he understood that he had hurt Sami very badly, she would eventually have to face the issue head-on, like an adult.

"You are gonna stand there and lecture me about behaving like an adult when you were running around like a horny teenager?" Sami angrily countered. Meanwhile, the doorbell rang, and when Sami opened the door, she was surprised to see Will standing outside. Sami dismissively sent E.J. away, bitterly reminding him that he had to take Johnny to the pub to buy some cupcakes, and she and Will went to the living room to talk privately.

Will sarcastically guessed that it had to be fun for Sami and E.J. to be living under the same roof together after everything that had happened. Sami agreed that twisting the knife was fun, but Will suspected that she was actually just tearing herself apart. Sami warned Will not to bother trying to talk her into forgiving E.J.

"Mom, you can do whatever you want with E.J. It's your life. But when it comes to Abigail, Mom, I don't care how hurt you are -- you need to back off," Will insisted. Sami reminded Will that his cousin had destroyed her marriage and her family. "Mom, no offense, but you and E.J. implode every six months with no help from anybody. The only difference is, this time, Abigail was involved," Will countered.

Will argued that Abigail never would have been put in a position to sleep with E.J. at the Horton cabin if the river incident hadn't occurred. Sami didn't buy the argument, since Abigail had slept with E.J. on more than one occasion. Sami told Will about how she had walked in on Abigail and E.J. in the DiMera Enterprises locker room. "So sorry if I don't have a tremendous amount of sympathy for little, sweet, innocent Abby. And if you think that my words -- a few choice words -- have hurt her feelings, then you better tell her to stand by, because she hasn't seen anything yet. I have every intention of utterly destroying her life," Sami matter-of-factly concluded.

"Mom, how can you say that? How many times have you done what she did -- and so much worse?" Will asked. Sami thought Will was trying to say that she had deserved what E.J. and Abigail had done to her, but Will stressed that he felt bad about what had happened to Sami -- and that Abigail felt bad, too. Will insisted that Abigail's relationship with E.J. was over and that continuing to punish her wouldn't accomplish anything.

Sami observed that Will was starting to sound like his saintly uncle, Eric, but Will countered that she was the one who was acting like a saint. Will started to suggest that Sami was being hypocritical, but she interrupted and insisted that she had paid -- over and over again -- for her mistakes and that Abigail needed to do the same. Sami vowed that "that little slut" wasn't going to get any mercy from her.

Will angrily warned Sami to stop calling Abigail that, but Sami insisted that the label was appropriate. "Oh, yeah? And when I came in and I saw you and E.J. going at it right there on that couch while you were married to Rafe -- what does that make you? Huh? That's right -- that makes you an even bigger slut!" Will countered, prompting Sami to slap him.

Sami quickly apologized but insisted that, while her infidelity had been horrible and wrong, and she knew that it had hurt Will, it had nevertheless been a completely different situation. "Because you were the cheater and not the other way around? [...] Punishing Abigail for doing the exact same thing that you did [isn't fair]. So, Mom, I am warning you -- you back the hell off," Will replied.

Sami observed that Will was really worried about Abigail but didn't seem to care at all about what his own mother was going through. Sami bitterly told Will about how she had been forced to listen to Johnny rave about Abigail earlier. "Damn her. I'm sorry that you don't approve, but I have every intention of destroying her life as thoroughly as she has destroyed mine," Sami reiterated.

"I warned you, Mom," Will reminded Sami, and as he exited the mansion, she dismissively assured him that she stood warned.

At home, Paige asked Eve for help picking out a top for her date with J.J. After selecting an appropriate top for her daughter, Eve asked why Paige had never told her that Daniel had been involved with Jennifer. Paige was puzzled as to why that mattered. Eve explained that she and Daniel had been getting to know each other socially, and Jennifer had flipped out when she'd walked in on Eve and Daniel looking at pictures of Parker. Eve maintained that she might have handled the situation differently if she'd known about Jennifer and Daniel's past.

"You're blaming this on me?" Paige asked, incredulous. "Well, it's not my fault," Eve countered. Paige recounted how her mom had supposedly sworn off men six months earlier. "And now, here you are, hitting on the first guy you meet in Salem," Paige noted. Eve insisted that she hadn't been hitting on Daniel; they were just friends. Paige pointed out that Eve, who wasn't wired to be friends with men, had gone through a string of bad relationships. Eve wryly noted that Paige didn't have a very high opinion of her.

Paige reminded her mom, "I'm the one who always has to listen every time it all falls apart. I'm the one who has to put up [with] you warning me about boys and how they only want one thing." Eve insisted that she only wanted Paige to be careful and wait for the right guy. Paige countered that she wanted the same thing for Eve. Eve acknowledged that she should take her own advice, but she wasn't good at being alone.

Eve added that she didn't want to see her daughter get hurt, although she understood why Paige liked J.J. so much. "You just be careful...with your heart. Don't you ever do anything that you do not want to do because you're afraid of losing him, okay, sweetheart? Unless, of course, you want to end up like me," Eve said. Paige promised that she would be careful.

At the Horton house, after J.J. played the guitar he'd gotten from Daniel for graduation, he thanked Daniel profusely. J.J. assured Daniel that Jennifer wouldn't be back for a couple of hours because she was meeting with her lawyer. Daniel asked about the lawsuit, and J.J. admitted that he didn't know how to deal with the hatred between his and Paige's moms. Daniel understood how protective Jennifer was of Jack's memory. J.J. confessed that he was trying not to choose sides, but it was difficult when those sides were his mom and his girlfriend.

Daniel urged J.J. to focus on Paige, because that was what Jennifer would want. Daniel hoped that Eve would do what was best for her daughter and keep Paige out of things where the lawsuit was concerned. "I heard that you were spending time with Eve," J.J. remarked. He was relieved when Daniel said that he had no plans to see Eve again. J.J. wanted to know how things were going with his mom and Daniel. Daniel declined to discuss it except to say that he would always care about Jennifer, J.J., and Abigail.

J.J. said that he wished he knew how to fix things because things had been so good just a few months earlier, but it seemed like everything was falling apart. Daniel urged J.J. to cherish the good moments while they were happening and enjoy every minute he had with Paige until she had to leave for Stanford. "You make the most of it... The future, man, it will work itself out," Daniel promised.

Daniel had gone by the time Paige arrived at the Horton house. J.J. proposed that he and Paige hang out there instead of going out, since Jennifer and Abigail were out and wouldn't be home for a couple of hours. Paige thought that sounded like a good idea, and she kissed J.J. to demonstrate her agreement. J.J. said that he'd played his guitar for Daniel, and he'd asked Daniel about Paige's mom. "After she was hitting on him today, I just -- I wondered if she was hitting on him to get back at my mom," J.J. explained.

Paige insisted that her mom hadn't known about Daniel and Jennifer's past, and Eve hadn't been trying to upset Jennifer. A moment later, J.J. and Paige started making out. Things quickly grew more passionate, and soon they were lying together on the couch. J.J. sat up to remove his shirt, then he unbuttoned Paige's blouse. Suddenly, her mom's words about not doing anything just to keep from losing J.J. began to echo in Paige's head. She told J.J. to stop, and when he didn't immediately stop kissing her, she repeated it more forcefully and shoved J.J. off of her.

When Paige jumped up, J.J. asked what was wrong. "I said that I wanted you to stop, and you just didn't listen!" Paige said, fear creeping into her voice as she buttoned her blouse. J.J. apologized sincerely that he hadn't heard her. Paige told him that she wasn't ready to go that far. J.J. assured her that it was fine and that he would never push her. "I know; I just have to go," Paige said, rushing anxiously out the door. J.J. helplessly watched her leave then headed back into the house, where his eyes fell on a photo of his dad.

At University Hospital, Brady sat at a comatose John's bedside and begged his father to open his eyes. Maggie arrived and was stunned to see John's condition firsthand. She explained that she and Victor had returned from Europe as soon as they'd heard about John. As she patted Brady's shoulders comfortingly, he lamented, "Maggie, I did this to my own dad. He may never wake up, and it's my fault." Maggie assured Brady that she knew he would never intentionally hurt his father. An emotional Brady confessed that he couldn't remember anything about what had happened because he had blacked out.

Maggie asked if Brady had been to a meeting, and she was very relieved when he replied that he'd been to more than one. Brady said that he hadn't even been tempted since he'd stopped using. Maggie guessed that he had hit bottom and had a sincere desire to change -- and she reminded him that was the first step. Brady regretted the way that he'd spoken to Maggie, but she understood that it had been the alcohol and drugs talking. The horror apparent in his voice, Brady admitted, "Maggie, I was so loaded, I don't even remember what I did to him, and now I get to live with it for the rest of my life."

In a waiting room, Theresa left a frantic message for Anne: "Ditch that H.R. retreat and just get back here. Just -- look, I need your help, okay?" Theresa seemed to be about to say more, but Victor walked in just then. "You crossed the wrong man, you little bitch. I know what you've done, and I'm not going to let you get away with it," Victor declared threateningly. He accused Theresa of getting Brady falling-down drunk and tricking him into marriage, and Victor was confident that was what had caused the fight between John and Brady.

Theresa tried to extricate herself as politely as she could, but Victor grabbed her by the arm and growled, "You stupid, venal little tramp. You went after my grandson for what you could get, but now you're on my radar, and I won't rest until you're totally, totally destroyed." Theresa insisted that she had been there, protecting and taking care of Brady, but Victor asserted that she would have left Brady in the gutter if he weren't wealthy.

Just as Victor was warning Theresa that she would never get a cent of Brady's money, Brady and Maggie walked in. Brady asked to speak to Theresa in private, so Maggie escorted her reluctant husband out. "So what did he say? Did he threaten to destroy you?" Brady asked knowingly. Chuckling, Theresa assured Brady that she could handle Victor. Brady asserted that they should be looking into getting an annulment, since he had been so drunk that he didn't even remember the wedding. Theresa maintained that she'd been very high, as well.

Theresa assured Brady that she hadn't been trying to trap him, but he reassured her that he didn't think that. Brady added, "You've been great -- you really have -- through this whole nightmare. I just think, for many reasons, that we should go our separate ways." Theresa seemed crushed that Brady didn't think they should even hang out as friends. Brady explained that he intended to stay sober.

"Brady, look, I hope that you know that I really do care about you, and I'm just -- I am so sorry for what happened to your dad... You don't deserve to go to prison," Theresa said tearfully. Brady asserted that, whatever the police decided, he would take responsibility for his actions. "I just pray that my dad wakes up and tells me what happened," Brady added. "Yeah, I hope so, too," Theresa lied.

Outside, Victor and Maggie ran into Abe, who was looking for Brady to ask him some questions about the previous night's events. Just then, Daniel got off the elevator and greeted his mom with a hug. Since Victor wanted to wait around in case Brady needed him, he asked Daniel to drive Maggie home. As soon as Daniel and Maggie had gone, Victor turned to Abe and demanded, "Tell me you're not here to arrest my grandson."

Abe pointed out that he couldn't discuss Brady's case with Victor. Victor irritably countered that Abe couldn't question Brady without an attorney present. Brady walked up just then and announced that he didn't need an attorney because he'd already told the police that he'd put his dad in a coma. "Would you just shut up?" Victor barked at Brady,then noted to Abe, "Now, the sole witness said that it was self-defense. There's no reason not to believe that." Abe said that the final forensics report would be in the next day. "Depending on what it says, you could be charged with attempted murder," Abe warned Brady.

In Horton Square, an anxious Theresa was on her tablet, trying to book a flight to get far as away from Salem as possible, as quickly as she could. "Los Angeles. Mom and Dad -- they wouldn't throw me to the wolves. I don't think. I hope not," Theresa was muttering when Eve walked up. "What the hell? Does your new hubby know that you're planning a trip to Los Angeles?" Eve asked, chortling. Theresa admitted that her marriage was over, so she thought she would visit her parents. Pointing out that Theresa might be facing jail time if she returned to L.A., Eve asked what was really going on. Theresa refused to discuss it and stomped away. "What have you done now?" a worried Eve said to herself.

At Club TBD, Aiden had just informed Jennifer that he thought he'd found a way to deal with the lawsuit when his phone rang. When Aiden stepped out to take the call, Nicole tentatively approached Jennifer and asked if they could talk. "I am sorry, Nicole. I don't have time for this -- or you," Jennifer said. She quickly apologized for her brusqueness and explained that she was there to meet with a lawyer because someone was suing her for a percentage of the profits from Jack's book, plus she had a lot of other things going on.

Nicole gently assured Jennifer, "I don't want to add to your problems. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about you and Daniel." Jennifer was skeptical of Nicole's sincerity, but Nicole insisted that she regretted her part in Daniel and Jennifer's breakup. "I'm just trying to take responsibility for my actions, which is more than I can say about you," Nicole said. She explained that Daniel was loyal to a fault, so Jennifer was obviously to blame for their breakup. Jennifer retorted, "Don't undersell yourself, because I could never cause the same kind of pain and destruction that you have."

Before the women's disagreement could escalate much further, Aiden returned and intervened. Nicole said, "I was just leaving. You know what, Jennifer? I think my first instinct was right. Maybe you're not good enough for Daniel."

After Nicole left, Aiden told Jennifer that he'd filed a summary judgment with the court, asking to have the case dismissed, and they should have an answer by the following week. Jennifer was grateful, especially since she knew her case was taking up a lot of Aiden's time. "It's good for me to be busy right now. Keeps me out of trouble," Aiden said with a wry chuckle.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Maggie admitted to Daniel that she shouldn't have given up until she'd gotten Brady into rehab. Reminding her of what AA taught, Daniel pointed out that there was nothing Maggie could have done because Brady hadn't wanted help. "Knowing that you're going to take care of Brady makes me feel better about leaving town tomorrow," Daniel added, much to Maggie's surprise. Daniel reminded her that he was attending a medical conference in St. Louis, after which he hoped to take Parker to see Melanie, if he could work it out with Chloe.

Maggie seemed worried about John's care. Daniel offered to cancel his plans to stick around for moral support, but Maggie assured him that she didn't need him to do that. She understood that Daniel could probably use some time away after everything he'd been through with Jennifer. Daniel confessed that Jennifer had seen him with Eve earlier -- but he assured Maggie that he'd "gotten the vibes" and was walking away from Eve. "That's a good move -- and that's all I'm going to say," Maggie remarked lightly. Daniel said that he was going to take a "sabbatical" from women for a while.

As Daniel was leaving, Jennifer opened the door from the foyer, and the two nearly bumped into each other. Jennifer apologetically explained that Henderson had told her to go on in, and Daniel assured her that he'd been on his way out. After Daniel had gone, Jennifer warned Maggie that the news of the lawsuit would be in the paper the next day. Maggie filled Jennifer in on Daniel's upcoming travels, adding, "Sounds like he might not be back for quite a while."

In Bishop White's office, Eric asked the bishop if something had happened with his case. Bishop White said, "Things have taken an interesting turn." He continued that despite the incomplete and corrupt evidence, he had no doubts about Eric's innocence -- but the case had already received a great deal of publicity, so whatever decision the church made would be heavily scrutinized in the press. "Since there is no clear-cut answer, a rather drastic step must be taken," Bishop White concluded.

After Bishop White outlined what Eric would have to do, the bishop stated, "I know that what I've told you may seem a bit extreme...but if you do what you've been asked to do, there's a very good chance things will work out in your favor." Eric said that before he made a decision, he would like to discuss things with Father Timothy.

Eric headed to the Brady Pub to talk to his grandmother. He informed Caroline about what he would have to do if he wanted the church to reinstate him as a priest -- and who would have to help him.

Nicole went to see the bishop and was disappointed and frustrated when she learned that the committee still hadn't reached a decision about Eric's reinstatement. Bishop White pointed out that there was almost no evidence to support most of what Nicole and Eric had told the church. Nicole admitted that Eric had made it pretty clear that he hated her and he would never forgive her for what she'd done. Nicole noted that the bishop still hadn't told her why he'd summoned her, since she didn't think there was anything else she could do to help Eric. Bishop White said that she could testify when Eric pleaded his case -- at the Vatican.